LAWJOBS.COM S.F. BAY AREA JOB LISTINGS

February 08, 2012

SACRAMENTO – The battle in the state Assembly over AB 1208 may be over, but Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye isn’t walking away without a few parting shots.

In a speech to court executives and presiding judges last week, the chief justice accused Assembly members of parroting “meritless, false claims” about the Judicial Council and the Administrative Office of the Courts during the AB 1208 floor debate on Jan. 30.

(Here’s the entire 19-minute speech. The AB 1208 discussion starts around the 5:15 mark. The AOC has also released an abridged version of the speech.)

Cantil-Sakauye also accused Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, of reneging on pre-vote assurances that members would be allowed “to vote their conscience, that it wouldn’t be the subject of political maneuvering.” The chief justice said she was disturbed to learn that, after only 32 Assembly members voted “aye” on the first roll call, Perez worked the floor to help bill author Charles Calderon find another nine votes to secure AB 1208’s passage.

“It’s one thing to lose an argument based on merit. It’s another thing when the facts are not represented,” Cantil-Sakauye said. The bill, she added, isn’t headed to the Senate “on its own legs.”

In response, Perez spokesman John Vigna would only say “The Chief Justice certainly has an opportunity to present her case to the Senate.”

Maybe the chief justice’s remarks were simply aimed at rallying her troops for the possible fight ahead in the Senate. And only she and the speaker really know what was promised or not promised in terms of pressure on Assembly members.

But on its face, the indignation comes across as a bit naïve, especially when you consider Cantil-Sakauye worked for two years in the Deukmejian administration. Anyone who watched the AB 1208 debate in the Assembly Judiciary Committee last May could see the speaker was behind this bill from the start – and that he was willing to use his political clout to move it. And as for the speaker working votes after the first roll call on AB 1208, that’s the sausage-making process that goes on in the Capitol. Love it or hate it, it happens all the time, particularly on bills that are a tough vote for lawmakers.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, has saidhe has no immediate plans to send AB 1208 to a committee hearing. In her speech, Cantil-Sakauye said she is grateful for the time-out and the time it gives the branch to focus on the budget. The judiciary, she said, is seeking another $100 million from the state’s general fund, $50 million in “redirections” from within the branch budget, $100 million from trial courts’ reserves “for [their] own needs” plus the $50 million in new fees included in the governor’s spending proposal.

That’s a big wish list from a branch whose leader just poked the Assembly and its leader with a sharp verbal stick.

February 09, 2010

State Republican lawmakers on Wednesday are expected to unveil a “jobs package” of legislation that includes a familiar target: employment litigation.

Sen. Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth has already introduced early drafts of two bills. Although the bills’ specifics are still being worked out, SB 990 would amend laws guaranteeing meal breaks to workers while SB 988 would change alternative work week rules.

“The main purpose is to spur job creation and to help businesses with less regulation,” said Hollingsworth spokesman Hector Barajas. Republicans will pursue their package of 15-20 bills separately from budget negotiations, Barajas said.

January 27, 2010

Cynics might call it typical budget smoke and mirrors. But the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office says the governor’s proposal to slap speeders with big fines to fund California courts may not be such a bad idea.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plans to install about 500 leadfoot-catching cameras around the state “has merit,” the LAO’s office said in a report released Wednesday. But channeling $398 million generated by the fines specifically to trial courts is a bad move, the analysts say.

The money would be better sent to the general fund where legislators can spend it as they wish, the report concludes.

“The administration has not provided a compelling policy rationale for linking these penalty revenues to trial court operations, such as court security,” the report says. “Notably, a court security fee paid by criminal offenders already exists to support the costs of providing security in the courts. In addition, we have not received sufficient information at this time from [the Administrative Office of the Courts] to justify the need for additional funding for court security.”

I'm guessing the AOC could remedy that lack of information real quick. Court officials have been clamoring for more security funding for years.

Under the governor’s plan, the state would upgrade existing red-light cameras to nab speeders whether they’re zipping through an intersection on a green light or a red one. If you’re photographed going up to 15 mph over the speed limit you’d pay a $225 fine. Anything over that would cost $325.

The proposal faces a lot of challenges, not the least of which is securing local governments’ approval to install the new camera technology. Lawmakers have not scheduled hearings to vet the governor’s plan yet.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the original dues bill shortly after someone leaked word that the governor's nominee to the Fifth District Court of Appeal, former state Sen. Chuck Poochigian, had been labeled "not qualified" by the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation. Schwarzenegger was also angered by news that a former Bar employee had embezzled $675,000.

In response, Bar officials conducted an unsuccessful search for the source of the leak, and they hired an auditor to review the organization's practices. Executive director Judy Johnson also announced her resignation (free reg. req.).

"I am pleased that the State Bar has taken these concerns seriously and has taken commendable steps to address these problems," Schwarzenegger wrote in a signing message. "I urge the State Bar to continue its efforts and look forward to evaluating its progress when next year's dues bill comes to my desk."

Bar President Howard Miller said in a prepared statement that the governor's veto "helped us to focus on issues and matters that are important. This entire period has strengthened the State Bar and given us important missions and goals that we now can actively achieve."